


Make Me A Bird

by Monroe_Aloysius



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Getting Together, Hallucinations, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Pre-Slash, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 20:35:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17905172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monroe_Aloysius/pseuds/Monroe_Aloysius
Summary: Fic details the effects that taking Gabe's pain had on Theo and what occurred between he and Liam directly after that.





	Make Me A Bird

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the song "Make Me A Bird" by Elektrik People mainly due to the fact that it reminds me of the pairing at hand.

**Chapter 1 - The Boy Who Cried Littlewolf**

As he walked out of the corridor they were all currently standing in, his head began to swim with an unfamiliar surge of emotion, or more aptly, _emotions_. First was the anger pooling in the base of his spine and quickly making an unstable home at the base of his neck, tensing every muscle in between. Next was the guilt settling in his stomach and causing waves of nausea to flow through him back to back, which for far more personal reasons, was more difficult for him to tolerate than the anger. However, as much as he may have struggled to control both the anger and guilt that were pumping through him in that moment, those emotions were child’s play compared to the one that came next. Fear: the unadulterated kind that stems from knowing true pain, from having experienced things that no person, human or otherwise, should ever witness, let alone be a part of.

When that fear began to settle in his chest and felt like it was going to suffocate him, he knew he had to get as far away from the others as possible. He was a ticking time bomb, and as the seconds passed, he felt his breathing become erratic and his head start to spin. If he was lucky, he’d be able to calm himself down once he was away from the others, but as it were, he wasn’t the luckiest in the least. That thought was corroborated shortly after when his vision went black, momentarily leaving him wondering if he had passed out from the lack of oxygen in his system or if by some other unlucky notion the hospital’s power had picked that exact moment to go out.

As it seemed, neither of those options were accurate. Triggering his supernatural sight, he glanced around in an attempt to make light of his current surroundings and found that he was sagging against the wall in one of the hallways of the hospital. Where he wasn’t quite sure, but the one thing he was sure of was the fact that in no way should it be as quiet as it was now. The only sounds in the corridor were the still erratic beating of his own heart and the pants that followed from his mouth shortly after.

However, he didn’t have long to dwell on that before the lights in the hallway began to flicker in a way that reminded him of a B horror film. As he watched them sporadically illuminate the hallway, he began to notice that they were flickering in succession, getting closer to him each time they lit up and then beginning again at the end of the hall. If his current state of panic wasn’t enough to completely short circuit his brain, that little bit of information didn’t do him any favors.

It was then that he heard the footsteps coming his way, moving at the same speed of the lights overhead. The realization of what was happening hit him then, but he didn’t know how to stop it, he never did. All he could do was wait for it to happen or uselessly fight against it just to watch it happen anyways.

She came into view moments later, watching him with dead eyes. Her hair dripped with every step she took, and the air around them seemed to drop at an alarming rate. By the time that she was about five feet in front of him, he was shivering and unable to move, completely resigned to his fate.

“Are you not going to even _try_ , brother?” she asked scathingly, as if him submitting made it less enjoyable for her.

“Is that what you want, Tara? You want me to fight you?” he asked, never once looking away from her depthless stare.

“No, Theo. I want to hurt you the way you hurt me, so if this isn’t getting the job done anymore, maybe I’ll find a new way to rip your heart out,” she cocked her head to the side and smirked in a way that reminded him of his former self.

Momentarily confused, he mirrored her posture, cocking his head to the side and waiting for whatever horror would take place next. What he did not expect was to see Liam materialize behind her. The next moment she was turning away from him and stalking towards Liam, causing his heart to sink in an instant.

“No, Tara, wait!” he surged forward just as she stepped within arms reach of Liam.

Much to his surprise, she took pause, glancing towards him and asking, “Why? This seems to be a much more effective way of ridding you of that organ you so eagerly stole.”

Falling to his knees, he placed his right hand over his, _her_ heart and began to sink his claws in around it before pleading, “Because this is what you really want. You don’t want his heart, you want yours. You can have it, just. . just don’t hurt _him_.”

In response, she lifted an eyebrow and stared back at him, coaxing him to continue with his current task. He took a deep breath to steady himself before plunging his digits completely into his chest and encircling his still beating heart.

“Wait!” she commanded, looking him over with something that would have resembled sympathy if she had any left to give.

“Why?” he asked, voice low and hesitant as he watched her every move.

“Because you just proved that the heart inside your chest, belongs to the one in my hands,” she explained with a smile as she reached up and wrenched Liam’s heart out of his chest, causing his body to drop to the ground, limp and lifeless.

The scream that left Theo’s lips in that instant seemed to shake the very walls of the hospital around them as it quickly devolved into a roar. Nothing compared to the pain he was experiencing in that moment. Not the abuse he endured as a child or the years spent with the Dread Doctors. No, not even the months spent in his own personal hell seemed to measure up to the agony that was drowning him in that moment.

Through the abyss that was his mind, he heard his name being spoken aloud. By who, he didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that he had killed the one person he had sworn to protect. In the end, he was Liam’s undoing, just as everyone had suspected he would be. Looking down, he noted that his claws were still fitted around his heart, the one part of his body that now felt the emptiest. With a final breath, he began to force his hand from his chest, allowing the tears that had been pooling in his eyes begin to fall around him.

“THEO!” Liam screamed, both hands on either side of Theo’s face.

As he jolted back to consciousness, all he could seem to focus on was Liam’s face mere inches from his painted in what appeared to be tears. Taking a deep breath, he registered that Liam was alive and that he himself was in an immense amount of pain, emotional or physical he couldn’t tell, but he knew something was wrong.

“Theo, you need to trigger your healing,” Liam said, caressing his face with his thumbs.

Still taken aback by the fact that Liam was sitting in front of him instead of lying on the ground heartless, his only response was, “Li. . You’re alive. .”

This time when he tilted Theo’s head towards his own, it was not gentle. It was as if he was an insolent child and Liam was the frustrated parent attempting to teach a life lesson. Taking one of his hands away from Theo’s face, he reached down and took Theo’s right hand in his, raising their interlocked hands in between them as if trying to show him something.

“Yes, I’m alive, but you’re not going to be if you don’t start healing!” Liam stated sternly, doing his best to hold back the anger that Theo could see lurking beneath the surface.

Theo frowned, still confused until he looked down and saw his blood soaked torso. It seemed that the dream that he thought he was trapped in wasn’t a dream at all and more of a hallucination. Wonderful. Now not only could Tara get to him while he was asleep, but apparently he was free game whilst awake as well. He was brought back to reality from that train of thought by Liam shaking him violently, now not having as much luck holding back his anger as he previously had.

“Goddamnit, Theo! If you don’t start healing. . .” Liam began before Theo cut him off.

“Li, I’m trying. . .” he breathed, truly putting all of his effort now into trying to heal.

“Obviously not hard enough! You don’t get to die on me! Not after everything we’ve. .” Liam started yelling, but was then cut off by a knife slipping around his throat.

Theo blinked himself awake, suddenly feeling much more alive than he had in the last few minutes when Liam was wrenched from his direct line of sight. Looking up, he noted Mason and Corey to his right and Melissa to his left. Upon further inspection, Liam was now standing upright a few feet in front of him with the blade still around his throat and Nolan standing behind him wielding the offensive object. Theo felt a growl begin in the pit of his stomach as he sensed the stress and anxiety wafting off of Liam and watched as the others started in Liam’s direction.

“Stop! It’s laced with yellow wolfsbane. If it almost killed Scott what do you think it will do to your precious beta?” he asked, for once his voice not quivering with nervosity.

“What the fuck, Nolan?” Mason asked incredulously, mouth slightly agape due to the double cross he was currently witnessing.

“What? Did you really think I was going to switch sides just like that? If I don’t do this I’ll be on Monroe’s to do list for the rest of my life!” he explained, slowly backing away from them all with Liam in tow.

“And if you do this, you’ll be on mine,” Theo responded, the life seeming to slowly creep back into him as the adrenaline pumped through his veins.

“No offense, but the threats of a dead man don’t really scare me,” Nolan shot back.

It was then that Theo’s eyes shifted and alerted everyone that his healing had been triggered and he was therefore on his way back to full capacity. It only took another moment for him to be on his feet and completely shifted.

“Do I look dead to you?” he growled, eyes focusing on Nolan’s.

“Don’t be mad, but. .” Nolan began, slowly removing the knife from Liam’s throat.

“But what?” he spat back, really not in the mood for any explanation, no matter how clever it was.

As soon as the knife was far enough away from Liam’s neck to insure that no damage would come to the beta, Liam turned and shoved Nolan into the wall behind them, successfully knocking the blade from his grip.

“Stop! It was my idea!” Mason surged forward, trying to stop Liam from injuring Nolan.

“What?” Liam and Theo both growled in unison.

“When Theo wasn’t healing, we improvised,” Mason explained as Liam loosened his grip on Nolan.

“You _improvised_? Please, do explain,” Theo coaxed.

“Well. . as we all know, strong emotions can cause a shift, and the only thing I could think of in that moment that would cause you to react in such a way was if Liam was in danger, so. .” he replied, fiddling with his hands as he spoke.

“So you get the former hunter to fake a double cross. If I wasn’t so pissed off due to the adrenaline still hammering through me, I’d actually say that was a pretty good plan,” Theo concluded, seemingly getting closer and closer to full capacity if the return of backhanded compliments was anything to go by.

“Well, Mase, that would have been really fucking nice to know! I’m still working on my anger, you know! I could have killed him!” Liam looked to his best friend, a mixture of appreciation and diluted anger clouding his features.

“I’m sorry, but it wouldn’t have worked if you hadn’t been taken off guard. Even half dead Theo can read emotions like the back of his hand,” Mason explained, raising his hands and eyebrows with each word.

By the look on Liam’s face, it seemed like he had been prepared to say something back but instead just let out a semi humorous breath and shook his head, choosing not to argue with his best friend’s seemingly foolproof logic. His eyes were on Theo in the next second, watching as the adrenaline started to settle in his system and he was reduced once again to being a both mentally and physically injured wreck.

Before his body completely gave out on him, he felt an arm slip around him and looked to his left to find Melissa attempting to shoulder his weight on her own. Despite her undeniable title of bad ass, she was still a small woman who had no business even trying to lift his full weight on her own, which she made apparent by the daggers she was shooting the rest of the group. In no time at all, Corey was on his other side helping her hold him up as they walked him to a room and lifted him onto one of the empty beds.

“I’m going to go get some supplies to take the bullets out and clean up that wound since he’s a chimera and I know they heal much slower than normal werewolves. Keep an eye on him while I’m gone,” she informed before leaving the room.

Theo sat up looking around the room to take in his surroundings as he always did. Liam was standing next to the bed to his right, Corey and Mason had taken up residency on the couch to Liam’s left, and Nolan, seemingly still keeping his distance after their little incident, was standing in the doorway watching them all quietly.

Theo, feeling as though he owed Nolan an apology for threatening him, opted for gratitude instead and said, “Thank you.”

It was simple and straightforward, but Nolan still asked, “What for?”

“For what you did out there. You didn’t have to agree to it and honestly, the old me probably wouldn’t have done something like that for someone else, self preservation and all, so thank you. You too, Mason,” he explained, deciding he probably owed Mason the most gratitude.

Nolan nodded in his direction and allowed Mason to respond with, “No problem, dude. You’re pack and that’s what pack does. We save each other’s asses. Plus, it was honestly just luck. Who could have known that Liam’s safety meant enough to you that it would trigger a shift?” he laughed, always being able to make light of the most serious discussions.

“Apparently you,” Theo replied, chuckling lightly, trying his best to cover up how deeply it affected him when Mason had referred to him as pack.

They all laughed at that for a brief moment before falling back into silence. Nolan went back to awaiting Melissa’s return, Corey and Mason returned to just enjoying each other’s company after the night they had all had, and Liam was back to intently watching Theo as if trying to make sure he didn’t attempt to die on him again.

“I’m okay, you know? You don’t have to watch me like that. I mean, unless you just like the view, of course,” Theo teased, low enough so that the only person that could hear him was Liam.

In response to his teasing Liam merely rolled his eyes before replying with, “I know, but it’s not whether or not you’re physically okay that I’m worried about right now.”

At that, Liam lifted one of his hands onto the bed and rested it just above Theo’s knee. The contact made Theo feel safe and conflicted all at the same time. Since returning to the world above ground, he still struggled with his emotions and how to properly process them. Liam was one of the only people, hell who was he kidding? Liam was the _only_ person he even felt the slightest bit of ease with when it came to feelings. The only reason he had been able to express his gratitude to the others in the room just a few minutes ago was partially because of the once again near death experience but also because Liam was there standing next to him, grounding him. It was that thought that allowed him to lean into the touch, enjoying the way the contact relaxed him.

As he closed his eyes at the immense feeling of relief washing over him, he heard Liam’s voice, just above a whisper, say, “We’ll talk about what happened later, okay?”

Melissa re-entered the room just as he finished speaking, cutting the conversation short, which in all honesty, he was grateful for. He was ready to get the bullets out of his body as well as get his self inflicted wound cleaned so it would heal properly. He was also at a loss for words as to what to respond to Liam with so it was a win win situation, or so he thought until Melissa sidled up next to him with her equipment.

“Alright boys,” she looked pointedly at Liam and Corey, “hold him still for me.”

“Is that really necessary?” Theo asked, confused at why they would both need to hold him still to remove a few bullets and clean a wound. Did he come off as that much of a puss?

“It will be in a minute,” she responded vaguely.

She went to work on removing the bullets first. He soon found that he had been shot more times than he had registered as she started on the fourth and final bullet wound. As he looked over the other wounds, it was clear to him that they were not healing as they should.

“Why aren’t they starting to heal?” Liam asked as if he had been reading his mind.

“All of their bullets were treated with Wolfsbane. I know Chimeras don’t respond to it in the same manner that the rest of you do, but it does still affect them. In this case, it’s stalling his healing. It’s partially why it was so difficult for him to shift earlier. It’s also why I need you boys to hold him down now,” she explained, finishing off with a quick look at both of the other supernaturals in the room.

Liam leaned in from where he was currently standing on Theo’s right side, gripping just below his knee and then taking Theo’s right hand in his, giving him a pained look before placing them both on his shoulder and pressing down with just enough force to hold him place. Corey mirrored Liam’s movement minus taking Theo’s hand in his. Melissa then moved to her bag beside the table and removed a small hand torch.

“What. In. The. Fuck. Is. That. For?” Theo asked, not even attempting to hide his shock.

“It’s to burn the Wolfsbane out. It’s the only way to get it completely out,” Liam explained, looking down to him with that same pained expression that could only come from having experienced such before.

“Lovely,” Theo pursed his lips before leaning his head back against the bed and clamping his teeth together, preparing himself for the onslaught of his senses that was about to take place between the pain and the stench of burning flesh seconds away from filling the room.

“Are we ready?” Melissa asked, firing up the torch.

Liam looked down to Theo to make sure before looking back to Melissa and giving her a small nod. The next thing he knew, his skin was on fire and there were several different colors circulating the room, showing that the hunters had been using every type of wolfsbane they could possibly find. His grip on Liam’s hand tightened when Melissa moved onto the next bullet hole and seemed to increase every time she stopped and then started again. The thought crossed his mind that he might break Liam’s hand due to how hard he was squeezing, but that thought was shot down by the feeling of Liam’s thumb raking over his clenched fist with a softness that Theo himself was not capable of showing at that exact moment.

Liam’s light touches helped to distract him from the pain and before he knew it, the torch was off and Corey and Liam were loosening their grip on him. To say he was relieved that it was over was an understatement, but he felt himself start to panic slightly when he felt Liam pulling his hand away from his shoulder. Much to his consolation, Liam wasn’t pulling his hand away from him. He was merely moving their joined hands back down to Theo’s waist where the union was far more comfortable.

Next was the wound on his chest, which luckily had already started to heal better once Melissa had burned out the Wolfsbane. However, due to her maternal nature, she just couldn’t let him go without at least tending to it a bit. He watched as she cleaned the blood away and then sanitized the rest of the wound. Before long, he was all patched up and ready to leave the hospital.

“Alright, boys. I’m going to go home and check on my own boy and get some much needed sleep. You should do the same. I’ll see you all tomorrow at the house,” Melissa announced as she exited the room.

Nolan waved his goodbyes and quietly followed her out. Mason and Corey were the next to leave after having asked Liam if he needed a ride home to which he politely declined. After they left, Liam and Theo sat in the silence of the hospital room for a few minutes, appreciating the lack of sound after the chaos they had just endured.

“Are you ready?” Liam quietly asked, expression soft.

“For what?” he smirked.

Liam rolled his eyes in response, “To go home?”

“Yeah, but we’re getting food first. Saving your ass over and over really does something to my appetite,” he joked, unable to resist.

“Alright, but you’re paying,” Liam shot back as he walked towards the door.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Littlewolf,” he whispered low enough that he would have thought Liam didn’t hear him if it hadn’t been for the way the beta’s heart beat skipped just slightly.

Despite hearing him, Liam didn’t comment on it whatsoever. Whether that was because he didn’t have a response or because he felt the comment was uncalled for, Theo didn’t know, but he took the lack of anger to be a good sign. The walk to the elevator was short and once inside, they remained silent, seemingly submerged in their own thoughts. What they didn’t know was that they were both thinking of the exact same moment that had occurred between them just a few hours prior.

It was in that elevator that Liam first realized how much Theo meant to him, and for Theo, it was where he had experienced what love actually felt like for the first time. The way he felt looking into Liam’s eyes just before they had went out to face the hunters was single handedly the most emotion he had ever felt in his entire life. When he told Liam he wasn’t willing to die for him, he had been lying through his teeth. He would die for Liam a million times over if if meant keeping him alive. What Theo didn’t know is that Liam felt the exact same way.

Their separate trains of thought were cut short by Liam breaking the silence with, “I think this is the first time we’ve ever been in this elevator together without there being an imminent threat waiting for us on the other side.”

At that, Theo genuinely laughed and that was all the response that Liam needed. Theo’s real laugh, not the cocky nonchalant one he usually feigned, was out of this world. It was warm, soft, and if he was being completely honest with himself, ridiculously sexy. That thought was solidified in his mind when Theo turned his head towards him as the elevator came to a stop and smiled. There was just something about him that Liam couldn’t help but. . love.

When the doors opened, they both stepped out and headed towards the parking lot where Theo’s truck was. As they approached, Liam felt a wave unease pollute the air, but just as quickly as it appeared, it also vanished. Liam wasn’t an idiot. He knew that it had been Theo giving off that emotion mainly due to the fact that he was one of the only people he knew that had that good of control over their Chemosignals. Most people couldn’t just switch them off at the drop of a hat. However, seeing as how this night had been difficult enough to begin with and still wasn’t quite over, he decided to drop it for the moment.

After Theo unlocked the doors, Liam climbed in the passenger side and quickly put on his seatbelt. It wasn’t until after he had settled that he noticed Theo was still standing outside the truck, unease now wafting off of him like a tangible force. Seeing as how he was standing with his back against the rear door on the driver’s side of the car, Liam made his way through the cab and opened the driver door. Sitting on the edge of the seat he leaned slightly forward to look at Theo who was obviously distressed, no matter how hard he tried to keep his expression as stoic as possible.

Not knowing exactly what to do in this situation, Liam slowly exited the car and came to stand in front of Theo. Looking up, he noted that Theo’s features were tainted with what looked like a mixture of sadness, guilt, and fear. He also noticed that it almost seemed like Theo was looking straight through him, as if he was somewhere else entirely. At that thought, Liam tentatively reached his right hand up and placed it on Theo’s shoulder, attempting to bring him back to reality softly. Theo jolted slightly at the contact but soon relaxed, still stoic but no longer looking dazed.

“Come on, let’s go,” Theo said, voice like gravel.

“No, we’re not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on. There’s obviously something wrong,” Liam replied, not moving an inch from where he was standing but continuing to rub circles into Theo’s shoulder with his thumb.

“No, Liam. I said we are leaving,” he shot back, voice now cold.

“Don’t play this shit with me right now, Theo. I almost lost you tonight, more than once, and one of those times was because of whatever it is that is in your head, so you don’t get to push me away right now,” Liam retorted, some of his anger from before rising back up in his throat.

“This isn’t about you, Liam. It’s about me, and honestly, I don’t really understand why you care so fucking much. I’m the bad guy, remember?” he spat, throwing every defense mechanism he could into a single response while simultaneously pushing Liam back a few steps.

“First of all, if you thought about it, you’d know why I care. Second of all, I’m not going to give that last part even a second of thought because I know exactly what you’re trying to do, but as for you saying this isn’t about me? No. No it’s not, Theo, but I have a sneaking suspicion that whatever happened back there when you nearly ripped your own heart out had something to do with me since when you woke up, the only thing you seemed to care about was that I was alive! So quit the shit and talk to me,” Liam roared slightly, a growl sitting in the back of his throat just waiting to be released.

As he was staring at Theo, he saw the golden reflection of his own eyes in the pools of green resting above Theo’s cheekbones. Registering that he was letting his emotions get the best of him, he clenched his fists and dug his claws into the palm of his hand. The smell of fresh blood permeated the air around them and Liam noticed the change in Theo’s eyes immediately. They had gone from the picture of fortitude to worried in less than a minute. The next moment, Theo was stepping forward tentatively and reaching for Liam’s hands with his own. The contact immediately slowed Liam’s heartbeat and he was once again in control.

With unshed tears in his eyes, Theo looked at Liam and said, “See? This is why I’m bad. I may not kill people any more or even manipulate them for that matter, but I still cause pain, even to the people I care about the most. .”

Frowning, Liam stepped closer to him, taking one of their intertwined hands and pressing it lightly to Theo’s cheek before saying, “Theo, I need you to listen to me. You’re not bad. You haven’t been in a long time. What you need to understand is that sometimes things happen. I have IED, which is only made worse by being a werewolf. What just happened, that wasn’t your fault. Yes, we were arguing and it upset me, but those things happen, especially when you care for someone, which is exactly why I got upset. I care about you, more than anything at this point.”

At that, Theo started to slide down the side of his truck and sit on the pavement. Liam followed him down and sat to his left, their hands still intertwined as they sat in silence. Despite having made what Liam would usually think was a huge confession, he didn’t feel anxious whatsoever. No matter what Theo said next, it didn’t matter in the sense that it wasn’t going to change how Liam felt about him. At this point, nothing really could.

After a while, Liam felt Theo start to tremble beside him. Turning towards him so his full body was facing Theo, he swapped hands and took his now free hand and carded it through the hair at the base of Theo’s neck, hoping to ease him in some way. Looking back, this would be one of the moments that Theo remembered the most. He would remember how perfect Liam was for him in the sense that he knew exactly when to give him time to open up and exactly when to push him.

“After I took Gabe’s pain. . It all started to suffocate me. .” he began, voice gravelly but also fragile in a way that Liam had rarely heard.

Looking up from underneath his thick lashes, he saw Liam’s open and waiting expression, so he continued, “The emotions, _his_ emotions were too much. . We both know I’m not the best with dealing with emotions, but with his on top of my own in that moment. . It was too much for me to take. . And then the last emotion he felt before he died. . It was fear, which is apparently a trigger for me. Who knew?”

The laugh that escaped his lips was dark and humorless, but that didn’t stop Liam from asking, “A trigger for what?”

“Panic. I guess I went into a panic attack. My breathing became erratic. I kept feeling like I couldn’t breathe and then, out of nowhere, everything went black, and that’s when it happened,” he explained, cutting himself off when the conversation started to lead into the real issue.

“What happened, Theo?” Liam asked, now as close to Theo as he could get without climbing into his lap.

As Liam continued to rake through his hair, Theo took a deep, steadying breath and continued, “The nightmare. . Ever since you brought me back, sleeping hasn’t exactly been the easiest thing to do. Every night without fail, I have the same nightmare. . I wake up in the hospital in the morgue and no matter what I do, my sister, Tara, finds me to come and claim what’s rightfully hers. .”

Theo reached up then with his free hand and pressed it over the organ beating in his chest. Even in the mediocre lighting of the parking lot, Liam could tell that Theo was easily two to three shades paler than usual, this conversation taking more out of him than even he was letting on.

“Did you not have them before Hell?” Liam asked, trying to get a better understanding of where the nightmares were originating from.

“No, and before you ask, yes. That’s what Hell was for me. An endless loop of her tracking me down and ripping my heart, or rather, _her_ heart, out of my chest. . It got to the point that I stopped running from her. I knew what she wanted and why she wanted it. . And I knew I deserved it. More than anything else, I deserved what she was doing to me. . You keep saying that ‘Post-Hell Theo’ is different than ‘Pre-Hell Theo’ and you’re right. . If nothing else, it re-taught me the emotions and feelings that the Dread Doctors deemed as qualities of failures. . I still have no fucking clue how to deal with them, but they’re there. . The sadness, the anger, the guilt, the fear. . It’s all there. .”

Liam stilled for a moment, shocked at how open Theo was being about everything, but righted himself quickly after that, determined to make the most of the conversation just in case. Once again adjusting his position next to Theo, he pressed his back against the truck and guided Theo into his chest, continuing to play with his hair.

“Is that what you saw in the hospital?” he asked quietly, holding the chimera to his chest, hoping that the steady rate of his heartbeat would calm him.

It took Theo a moment to respond, but when he did, Liam could basically hear the tears in his voice, “No. . She was there, yes, but she didn’t take my heart. . The reason that what you all saw was me. . trying to remove my own heart. . is because I was offering it to her. .”

“Why would you do that?” Liam asked, confused.

“I was offering it in exchange. . in exchange for yours. . She told me that it wasn’t enough anymore to just take the one in my chest. . Said it didn’t hurt enough. . So she found another way to rip my heart out. . You appeared and I begged her not to. I told her I would give her the heart back if she would just leave you be. . but before I had this one fully out, she ripped yours out anyways. .” at that admission, Theo sobbed.

It was quiet but violent nonetheless. As Theo had long before stopped even attempting to shroud his Chemosignals, Liam could feel every bit of agony that Theo was feeling at reliving the experience. It was enough to even make him physically sick so he knew that Theo, as unprepared as he was to deal with normal everyday emotions, must have been in emotional hell. In response, Liam pulled him closer, clouding the air around them in their joined scent and just holding him in an attempt to make him feel safe.

After a few minutes had passed and Theo’s body had calmed down a bit, Liam broke the silence, knowing that there was more to the nightmare this time around, “What happened next?”

Theo stilled at the question, and for a moment, Liam feared that he had asked too much of him, but soon Theo relaxed back into his grasp and spoke, “After that, she vanished. Happy with her handy work, I assume. . And she was right. The pain she caused me in that moment was far worse than the culmination of all the times she had ripped my own heart out. . I, in the most real way, felt like I was dying. . So when I looked down and I still had my claws around my heart. . I. .”

At that, Theo fell silent again, the tears falling freely this time, no sobbing necessary. Liam pulled him up to face him then, looking deep into those beautiful, tear-ridden eyes. Of all the emotions in the eyes that were staring back at him, one spoke to him far more than any of the others.

“Theo, I need you to know that you don’t deserve any of that. I know you said you did, and I know that you believe you do, but believe me when I say that you don’t. The things you did in the past, are exactly that. The Theo that is sitting here in front of me is a stranger to that person. Yes, your past makes you who you are, but it’s not what you’ve done that defines you. It’s what you do afterwards that does. Every decision I’ve watched you make since you’ve been back has been in the best interest of others, and you couldn’t have possibly succeeded in that if you were selfish or evil. Yes, you’ve done some horrible things, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be saved, and from where I’m sitting, it seems to me that you already have been,” he spoke, voice strong and unwavering, never taking his eyes off of Theo’s.

As Theo looked into Liam’s soft, blue eyes, his heart was breaking. He wanted in so many ways to believe the words that were coming out of his mouth, but there was something holding him back from that; something within him that screamed that he didn’t deserve anything good in this world.

“Li. .” he began before there was a thumb brushing against his lips, coaxing him into silence.

“No, Theo, _you_ listen to _me_ . Earlier, when we were in the hospital and I couldn’t get you to come back to reality, when I thought you were going to die, I didn’t know what to do. I was all but losing my mind, but then you woke up, and it felt like a piece of me fell back into place. When your healing kicked in and I saw the gold flare up in your eyes, another piece came crashing down and falling exactly where it was meant to be. And right now, sitting here with you in my arms, being able to be who you need me to be, I’ve never felt more whole in my entire life,” he detailed, outlining Theo’s bottom lip with his thumb as he continued, “You’re the person I trust the most in this world, Theo, and yes, you beat Scott _and_ Mason. You’re my anchor, the only person that can save me from myself.  What I’m really trying to say is that. . You’re everything to me, Theo. I love you. I love you more than anything. . And that’s why I know you’re not evil. . And that you never really were.”

As he attempted to soak in everything Liam had said, he could feel the fresh tears streaming down his face. Not once during the entire speech had Liam’s heartbeat skipped, spiked, or even wavered for that matter. Everything he said, he believed, and the undeniable feeling of hope that was sprouting in his chest was something altogether new to him.

“You. . love me?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes, Theo Raeken, I love you,” he answered without hesitation, hand still cupping Theo’s face and rubbing light circles over his bottom lip, which was becoming even more appealing as time moved on.

“And if you don’t say it back or kiss me soon, you’re going to ruin the moment, and. .” Liam started but was cut short by Theo leaning forward and pressing his lips against his own softly.

It wasn’t long before Liam returned the kiss in its entirety, soaking up the electricity that was flowing between them. Despite the faint taste of tears, Theo tasted even better than Liam had imagined. His lips were pure velvet and they moved with his own flawlessly, putting any other kiss either of them had ever received or given to shame. Sooner rather than later Theo’s tongue was dancing across Liam’s lower lip, asking for entrance rather than demanding which he had assumed would be more Theo’s speed, but somehow, it was even more endearing. Of course, he parted his lips in response, and Theo was quick to take advantage of the offering, exploring Liam’s mouth with enthusiasm.

Theo slid one hand around to the back of Liam’s neck and buried his fingers in the length there, tilting Liam’s head just slightly to a better angle. Liam gasped slightly, and in turn, Theo smirked against his lips, sending a shiver down Liam’s spine. The next moment, Liam swapped their positions slightly so that he was able to climb onto Theo’s lap and straddle him, allowing far better access for exploring each other.

Theo’s hands were resting on Liam’s hips, snaking beneath his shirt to rake his nails lightly across the muscles spanning his back, and Liam’s hands were lost in Theo’s hair, creating even more of a mess than the fight from earlier had. In all honesty, neither of them could have cared what they looked like in that moment. Their proximity was intoxicating to the both of them, and the more they kissed, the more passionate it became, and the more connected they felt. They never wanted to let the other go, and if it were up to them, they never would.

However, in that very moment, the universe was not acting in their favor and it began to rain. Unbeknownst to them, the thunder had been coming in waves of warning, but they were too wrapped up in each other to notice. As soon as the first drop landed on the bridge of Liam’s nose he looked up into the night sky and quickly returned his eyes to Theo, a smile a mile wide spread over his features. Theo returned the smile and pressed his lips against his lover’s once more before lifting them both off of the ground and hauling them into the truck.

There, they returned to kissing, more aggressively this time, with Liam lying on his back on the seats and Theo over him, hips firmly fitted between Liam’s thighs. As it were, they fit together perfectly, Theo causing Liam to moan each and every time he so much as moved his hips, and Liam causing a primal reaction in Theo every time he looked up at him with those beautiful, blue pools.

Catching their breath, they looked at each other for a long while, just taking the other in, Liam cupping Theo’s face above him and Theo running his fingers through Liam’s now unruly hair. Neither of them could have hoped for anything better, and by the looks in their eyes, they both knew exactly what the other was thinking. At that, Theo leaned down and pressed his lips to Liam’s, softer than before, but far more emotional, causing Liam to melt underneath him.

Theo leaned back up and looked down at Liam before asking, “So, you still hungry?”

At that question, Liam’s stomach growled, answering for him. Theo chuckled with that unbelievably sultry tone as he moved to position himself in the driver’s seat and Liam looked at him with lidded eyes.

“You know, now that I have permission to kiss you at will, you may want to stop being so provocative all the time,” Liam half joked, because really, he didn’t want him to stop.

“Is that a promise, Littlewolf?” he questioned back, smirking ever so slightly as he put the keys into the ignition and started the truck.

Liam bit his lip to stop himself from smiling like a complete idiot at the response he was given. To avoid digging himself a deeper hole that he would have no chance at getting out of, especially if said chimera was at the bottom, he turned to watch as the city passed him by at a reasonable speed. To say that it shocked him that Theo was actually doing the speed limit was an understatement. He’d ridden with him a multitude of times and he honestly never recalled him going the speed limit.

“Why are you driving so slow?” Liam asked, genuinely curious.

“I’m going the speed limit?” Theo asked back, confused by the question.

“You never go the speed limit,” he pointed out, lifting an eyebrow in Theo’s direction.

“Well, nearly every time that you’ve been in the car with me, there has been some sort of unfortunate supernatural emergency that had to be dealt with that instant. When I’m not concerned that our lives are at risk, I’m actually a law abiding citizen, thank you very much,” Theo explained, adding just a bit of sass to that last part.

Liam laughed, “You’re right. I guess I’m just so used to everything going to shit around here that it’s almost abnormal for nothing to be wrong.”

“Babe, you better find some wood and knock on it because we’re taking the rest of the night off,” Theo advised, shaking his head at the thought of having to deal with yet again another crisis.

“Well, all the wood we had is now gone because _somebody_ was hungry,” Liam declared, shooting Theo a pointed look.

Theo barked out a laugh before replying with, “It was your stomach that started talking to us.”

“True, but who knows, with all your abnormal abilities to control bodily functions, maybe you can make your stomach shut up too,” Liam shot back, not taking into consideration just how ridiculous that sounded.

“Oh my God, my boyfriend really is an idiot,” Theo smiled, shaking his head as he continued down the highway.

Liam blushed at that, oddly more affected by the fact that Theo had just referred to him as his _boyfriend_ rather than being angry that he just called him an idiot. Theo must have caught on to that as well since he then took his hand and placed it on Liam’s thigh and squeezed, smiling. It was silent for a few moments after that, just the sound of the truck and their own heart beats filling their ears.

The silence was then broken by Theo looking his way and saying, “You know, I love you too.”

Liam smiled back and said, “I know.”

Theo then smiled even bigger before replying with, “Alright, Han.”

Liam frowned before asking, “Who’s Han?”

Theo’s face fell immediately, looking almost hurt at the admission from his lover.

“What? Am I supposed to know that?” he asked, trying to figure out why Theo looked so dejected.

“Yes, you’re supposed to know that. How have you been friends with Mason nearly your entire life and Stiles for the last year or so and you have no idea what I’m talking about?” he asked, truly confused at how Liam had managed to go all this time and not know what he was talking about.

Liam thought for a second and then he registered what he had been missing, “Oh, it’s from Star Trek, isn’t it?”

At that, Liam could have sworn Theo was going to have a full on heart attack. He legitimately stopped the truck and turned to look at Liam with a glare that unmistakably said, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Which, to be fair, wasn’t far off from what he said, “Are you fucking serious? STAR TREK? Don’t get me wrong, Star Trek is great in it’s own right, but it’s not what that quote is from. It’s from fucking STAR WARS, man! What planet have you been living on? If we hadn’t just worn our selves out defeating the hunters and Stiles didn’t still somewhat hate me, I would call him right now just to have someone else just as offended as I am. This is ridiculous. Not only is my boyfriend an idiot, he’s also uncultured!”

Aside from the insults, Liam was actually enjoying this outburst from Theo. It was really quite interesting to watch him get so riled up over something he cared about. Watching him brought a smile to Liam’s face, and if it also made his dick twitch just a hair, no one had to know. Who was he kidding? Theo would the minute it happened, to be exact.

“Is this turning you on, Littlewolf?” he asked, obviously drawn out of his meltdown by the sudden change in the air around them.

“Maybe,” he answered unabashedly, hoping that his forwardness would deter Theo from sensing the reaction his body was also having to that particular nickname.

“Oh, and I see you also like your nickname. That’s new. You used to hate it,” he smirked, his eyes slightly twinkling.

Liam mentally kicked himself for not being able to keep himself together better than he currently was. He had done so well up until now, but how could he deny the beautiful boy sitting in front of him? It truly was a conundrum that he had yet to find the answer to and in all honesty, didn’t really want to.

“Yeah, and now you know why,” he motioned towards his jeans, providing concrete evidence.

“Now see, if you’d have told me this a long time ago, I could have helped you out,” Theo smiled, perfect teeth aglow in the moonlight coming in from the windows.

“Oh, really? And how would you have done that?” Liam coaxed, admittedly enjoying their less than innocent banter perhaps a little too much.

“Oh, _Babywolf_ , you’ll have to wait until after dinner for that,” Theo’s smile slowly shifted into a smirk as he took the keys out of the ignition and started to get out of the car.

Was Theo trying to kill him? First with the nicknames and then with the promises?

Liam cocked his head to the side before asking, “Where are you going?”

“To eat? We’ve been parked out here for a good minute and I’m starving,” he stated, waving around the parking lot that he was now standing in.

Liam looked around to see that they actually were in a parking lot of what seemed to be a 24 hour diner. He had been so concentrated on Theo that he hadn’t even noticed that they had pulled into an actual parking lot.

“This entire time I really thought that you had pulled over to the side of the road to give me a lecture about having not watched Star Wars,” he shook his head to himself, noting that his observation skills may or may not need some fine tuning.

“Seriously? That’s so a Stiles thing. Sure you’re dating the right guy?” he asked, smiling as he waited on Liam to join him in front of the truck.

As Liam walked around to the front where Theo was standing, he snaked his arms around the taller boy’s neck and pressed their foreheads together before replying with, “Yeah, I’m sure.”

Theo smiled at that and wrapped his arm around Liam, leading him into the restaurant. Upon entering the small establishment, they were far from shocked that they were the only customers to be seen. It was to be expected since the _entire_ town had just been at war with themselves. If they had any sense, they would all be in their homes and in bed, readying themselves to figure out how to deal with the aftermath of attempting genocide.

Obviously, Liam and Theo lacked that bit of common sense and were instead too wrapped up in each other and their own hunger to care whether or not they got a full night’s rest. Tomorrow, they would regret that decision, but at that very moment, they were far more concerned with exactly what they were about to eat.

Liam was the first to sit down in the poorly upholstered booth, his only slightly bloodied olive green jacket contrasting oddly against the red fabric at his back. Theo, upon finally noticing Liam’s appearance, looked down at himself and found that he was not nearly as lucky as Liam had been. Where Liam looked like he had possibly been in a fight, Theo could have passed for a zombie extra in a B horror film. Shaking his head at that thought, he seated himself opposite of his lover and began flipping through the menu.

“What are you going to get?” Liam asked, wiggling his eyebrows as if it weren’t one in the morning and there were far more options than there actually were.

Nonetheless, his positive attitude caused Theo to chuckle just a bit before responding with, “A double bacon cheeseburger with mayo, cheese sticks, and a side of cinnamon pancakes.”

“Damn. I guess saving my ass really does do something to you,” he laughed back, smiling fondly all the while.

“What’s the point in having a supernatural metabolism if you don’t take advantage of it?” Theo questioned.

“True, true,” he nodded in agreement.

Nothing more was said until the waiter came and took their orders, Liam’s ending up being just as large as the chimera’s. Theo willed himself to not call him out on his eating habits as they waited for their food. The rest of their meal went by quickly, conversation light hearted, or at least as light hearted as either of them were capable of being, and the smiles never quite vanishing from their faces altogether.

Once they had both finished eating, Theo went to pay as Liam took his keys and headed for the door. As Theo exited the restaurant, he watched as Liam climbed into the passenger side of his truck and started it up, engine roaring to life in the all too quiet parking lot. A minute wave of sadness washed over him as it dawned on him that now the only thing left to do was take Liam home and then after that figure out somewhere to stay for the night. There was a part of him that felt like he needed to at least tell Liam about his current housing issue, mainly because he knew he would want to know and would be incredibly angry when he found out, especially if Theo wasn’t the one to break the news to him, but the other part of him didn’t want to ruin the night they had managed to salvage after the fight.

Of course, that was assuming that he didn’t already know. Theo was nearly positive that everyone else in the pack knew, but there was something in him that kept telling him there was no way in hell that Liam knew and hadn’t said something to him prior. Even without the confessions of tonight, Theo knew that Liam had at least cared for him in some regard and would never stand for someone that he cared for to be in any situation of the sort.

Quickly banishing that option from his mind, he too climbed into the truck and strapped himself in, considering what the best way to explain the situation to him would be. He found it was harder than he thought for him to find a way, _the right way_ , to tell him. Although Theo was incredibly talented with words, using them to explain something emotional was not his strong suit, especially not when it dealt with something that was as depreciating as having to admit that he was homeless to the one person he cared about more than anything. Before long, they were pulling into Liam’s driveway and Theo was cutting the engine so as to not wake up Liam’s parents.

They only sat in silence for a few moments before Liam said, “Come on,” motioning to the house with his head as he spoke.

Theo looked back at him quizzically before starting with, “Liam. .” his Chemosignals already filling the car with the stench of uncertainty and embarrassment. Since when was it so difficult for him keep those things under wraps?

“Theo, it’s okay. You don’t have to explain anything. I figured it out back at the hospital earlier tonight,” Liam explained lightly, reaching over to cover Theo’s now slightly shaking hand with his own.

Liam’s words caught Theo off guard, causing his frown to deepen before he asked, “How?”

Liam swallowed before answering, somewhat terrified to breach the subject in the fear that it would push Theo away from him in that moment. Nevertheless, he responded with, “It was when you told me about the nightmares. There was something about your scent that changed when you were explaining them to me. It was a strange mixture of sadness, guilt, and fear. When we got back in your truck, I recognized the scent inside and made the connection.”

“Ah,” was all he responded, looking intently at his nail beds that he was currently picking at.

The silence stretched on for a few moments before Theo eventually piped up and asked the one question that had been on his mind concerning the situation, “So, you really didn’t know before then?”

“No, I didn’t. I wouldn’t have allowed it to go on if I had. I hope you know that,” Liam responded almost immediately, leaning his head to the side in an attempt to look at Theo face to face as he still studied his nails.

Liam’s answer seemed to lift a weight off of Theo’s shoulders that he hadn’t realized was there. In that moment, he was reminded of just how astounding the boy to his right really was. Not only was the way in which he approached the subject with the chimera admirable; it was also the very embodiment of kindness and empathy that Theo was far from accustomed to. In his entire life, and that included pre-Dread Doctors, there was no one that seemingly understood him as well as Liam did, and honestly, no one who had ever cared as much either. The fact that he picked up on the nuances of his scent and put the puzzle pieces together on his own proved that all by itself.

“Yeah, I know. . Thank you,” he finally responded in a small voice, still somewhat uncomfortable with the subject matter.

“For what?” Liam asked, genuinely curious if his facial expression was anything to go by.

It was then that Theo looked up to face him again, responding with, “For understanding. . and just being. . you.”

Liam smiled back, “Well, you might not want to thank me in a few minutes.”

“And why would that be?” Theo asked suspiciously, cocking his head slightly to the side.

“You’ll find out. Come on,” he motioned to the front door again, this time pulling Theo’s hand in that direction with his own.

“Liam, I can’t. .” he began.

“Oh, you _can_ and you _will._ This is not a request. I will not have any boyfriend of mine living out of his truck and being harrassed by the cops at all hours of the night when he could be sleeping next to me in a nice, warm bed,” Liam stated very matter-of-factly, leaving no room for discussion even if Theo had wanted to argue his point, which deep down, he really did not want to do. Honestly, nothing sounded better than falling asleep with Liam beside him and waking up in the exact same manner.

Instead of even attempting to argue with the stubborn beta, Theo laughed lowly and responded with, “Be careful, Littlewolf. That tone of yours might get you into trouble.”

The look in Liam’s eyes changed from commanding to slightly embarrassed at his warning, causing Theo to smirk back at him before dislodging his hand from the other’s grasp and exiting the vehicle. Liam joined him soon after, beginning the search for his keys as he walked in the direction of the front door. Before long, he had retrieved them from his pocket and was stepping past Theo to unlock the door.

“So, what are you going to tell your parents when they wake up to find another boy sleeping in your bed?” Theo asked lowly, tilting his head to the side with a small smile.

“And what makes you think I’m just going to let you jump into bed with me?” he questioned back, stepping aside so Theo could enter the house.

“I distinctly remember you saying the words, “Sleeping next to me,” when you were all but demanding that I stay with you,” Theo pointed out, turning on his heel as he entered so he could look at Liam pointedly.

“Damn, I did say that, didn’t I?” he pursed his lips, making it clear that the question was far more rhetorical than it sounded.

“Indeed you did,” he smiled back, answering nonetheless.

With that, Liam walked past his overly confident boyfriend to the stairs that led up to his room. Once inside, he made his way over to his dresser and pulled out two sets of sweatpants and tossed one of them to Theo. The chimera looked down at the garment in his hands and took the hint, stepping to his right towards the bathroom.

Upon entering and starting the shower, he peeked his head out and asked, “Not joining me?”

Liam was, to say the least, caught off guard by his question. He hadn’t exactly expected for Theo to be so forward, especially since it had only been a few hours since they had confessed their feelings for each other, but he should have figured that would be the case. It _was_ Theo Raeken, after all.

“Um. .” was all he managed to get out before he watched as Theo slipped back into the bathroom.

Just a few moments later he heard the sounds of Theo’s clothes falling softly to the floor and he found himself blushing at the thought. Since when had he become so bashful? Usually, he was nearly as full of himself as Theo was, but right now, there was a feeling of nervosity stirring in his stomach that was altogether new to him.

Taking a deep breath, he willed himself off of the bed and in the direction of the bathroom. Upon entering, his senses were flooded with Theo’s scent, the warm atmosphere in the room acting as the perfect environment for it to blossom. He closed his eyes, allowing the scent to calm him as it always did before beginning to remove his clothes as well. Once he was fully undressed, he stepped up to the shower door and pressed it open ever so slightly.

“Invitation still open?” he asked, relieved that despite how nervous he was, he was still able to not come across that way.

Theo looked back at him with a smile before answering, “For you? Always.”

Just one look at Theo’s beyond gorgeous smile and Liam was climbing into the shower with him, returning that smile with one of his own that sent a shiver down the chimera’s spine. Liam slowly encircled Theo, wrapping his arms around his torso and resting his cheek against his altogether too defined shoulder. Theo then reached his hands up to cover Liam’s as they stood in silence under the hot water coming from the shower head. They stood in that particular position for quite some time, enjoying both the warmth of the shower as it relaxed them and their proximity that only further succeeded in doing the same.

Before long, however, Theo was saying, “We probably need to go ahead and wash up before the hot water runs out.”

Liam didn’t even raise his head from Theo’s shoulder to respond, “Nah. It’s on demand.”

Theo shook his head in response, just barely holding back the chuckle that was attempting to escape, “Still, baby. I don’t want us turning into raisins and I for one would really enjoy getting into bed after the day we’ve had.”

“Fine,” Liam huffed, attempting to appear annoyed even though he instead felt a small wave of glee wash over him at the pet name Theo had just used.

Was this what it was going to be like all the time? Theo turning him into his own personal silly putty with the simplest things? In all honesty, although he wouldn’t admit it to Theo, he kind of hoped so.

“You know, you don’t have to be so defensive of how I make you feel,” Theo offered as he turned in Liam’s arms to look down at him.

“And here I was thinking that you wouldn’t notice,” he said in response, slightly blushing at the fact that Theo could read him so well _and_ that he could now feel their attraction to each other on a much more tangible level.

“Me? Not notice? Who do you think you’re dealing with, _baby_?” he questioned, lowering his voice just an octave as he repeated the pet name and reaching a hand up to press Liam’s now soaked hair out of his eyes.

Upon making full eye contact, his mind went blank. The only thing he could think about was how beautiful the man in front of him was and how indescribable it felt being intimate with him. It was then that Liam tilted his head up and pressed his lips to Theo’s, causing what seemed like a surge of electricity to course through them. Theo quickly moved to cradle Liam’s face in his hands, kissing him back with just as much fervor. Liam lowered his arms until they were encircling Theo’s hips, pressing them closer together with each second until they were as close as humanly possible.

Theo was the first to gasp at the sensation of them being that close, giving Liam the opportunity to lick into his mouth, eliciting a small moan from his boyfriend’s lips. To gain back a bit of control, Theo raked his teeth across Liam’s tongue when it entered his mouth again, causing Liam to whimper in response. It was then that Liam slowly edged one of his hands in between them to provide them both with some much needed friction. Theo leaned into his touch, causing their lengths to slide against each other in Liam’s grasp. The wave of heat that washed through them both in that moment was enough to make their blood boil, the scent of arousal now the only thing either of them could smell in the confined space of the shower.

“Liam. .” Theo rasped in between kisses.

Liam, now blushing profusely, broke their kiss, responding with, “I’m sorry. I know I’m. .”

Theo then cut him off, “Don’t be sorry. I was merely trying to point out that if you keep it up, we’re never going to make it to the bed. Unless that’s what you want, of course.”

The wicked smile that spread over Theo’s features sent a shiver down Liam’s spine. He returned it and began washing them up, now perhaps overly eager to get out of the sauna they had turned the shower into, knowing that what waited for them on the other side was far more enjoyable than even their current intimacy. Before long, both boys were stepping out of the shower and drying themselves off. Well, that was what they were doing until Liam decided to completely forego drying off and instead pressed Theo up against the door, causing both of their towels to hit the ground with a soft thud.

“Easy there, Littlewolf. Don’t start something you’re not prepared to finish,” Theo warned, the dare in his voice all too apparent.

In response, Liam reached one of his hands up to Theo’s neck and curled his fingers in the damp hair resting there before pressing his lips against Theo’s own. Theo returned the kiss immediately, immensely taken off guard when Liam used his grip in his hair to pull it back firmly, exposing his still slightly damp throat to the beta’s mouth. Liam trailed his tongue across Theo’s jaw line, nipping infrequently at the flesh there while allowing his other hand to massage small circles into the skin over his hip bone. The combined sensations caused a small whimper to fall from Theo’s mouth, urging Liam onward to their mutual, yet blissful destruction.

“I’m not so sure that I’m the one that’s unprepared for what’s about to happen,” Liam smiled as he backed them away from the door and opened it, pressing them both into the room until the backs of Theo’s knees hit the bed.

As Theo sat back, Liam lowered himself onto the floor in between his knees, placing light kisses down Theo’s chest and then stomach until he stopped at the light patch of hair just below his waist. The chimera’s heart skipped a beat as he watched Liam pepper his inner thighs with more kisses, nipping more frequently as he worked further inward. Upon reaching his destination, Liam placed one of his hands on Theo’s hip while simultaneously wrapping the other around his thick shaft, squeezing the base ever so slightly before looking up into Theo’s eyes.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this,” Liam confessed, his hot breath ghosting over Theo’s tip.

Sounding completely wrecked, Theo responded, “Probably not as long as I have.”

Liam then pressed himself towards Theo, brushing his cheek against his shaft and letting it rest against his face while asking, “When did you know?”

“Know what?” Theo breathed out, at a loss for words as he took in the view in front of him. He honestly couldn’t think of one thing in this world that could be more breathtaking.

“That you wanted this,” Liam explained, now turning his head to press his lips to the side of Theo’s dick, starting at the base and slowly moving upwards.

“When. . despite my better judgement. . I decided to be the bait,” Theo answered, his usual affinity with words now failing him as Liam ghosted his tongue over his tip before dipping his head to continue the tortuous line of kisses down the other side of his shaft.

Liam smiled at his answer, a newfound glow illuminating his features before he said, “I knew when I heard the shot go off after you threw me in the elevator. There was a piece of me screaming at the thought of losing you in that moment that I couldn’t shake and haven’t been able to since.”

It took a moment for Theo to process that, but as soon as he did, he returned the smile, “Then I guess we’ve been on the same page for a while now.”

“Yeah, too bad we weren’t even close to reading the same book. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have taken this long to happen,” Liam laughed, his hot breath once again doing things to Theo that he was still having a difficult time understanding.

“Well, I’ll be forever apologetic that history books just aren’t my thing,” he managed to joke, doing his best to maintain his composure despite the fact that his insides were completely wrecked.

“Oh, after this, you definitely will,” Liam smiled, emulating Theo’s characteristically wicked grin from earlier in the night.

At that, Liam wasted no time taking Theo’s full length into his mouth. Fitting his tongue firmly to the underside of Theo’s shaft, he began to bob his head slowly, circling Theo’s tip every time he came up and pressing his tip against the back of his throat on every downstroke. The pleasure wracking through Theo was something he himself had never had the luxury of. The warmth of Liam’s mouth around him was beyond satisfying, and the longer he looked down at him, the more he felt as though he was going to explode.

Liam looked up at him then, making sure Theo’s eyes were locked onto his own before pressing down once again, taking Theo in inch by inch until his nose was buried in Theo’s pubic hair, remaining in that position and ever so slightly shaking his head from side to side. He then swallowed around Theo, causing himself to gag, and Theo continued to watch him, thoroughly enraptured by the show that Liam was putting on for him. As the tears began to well in Liam’s eyes, although Theo found it strange, he couldn’t help but be even more turned on than he already was. Liam then, slowly but surely, lifted up, dragging his tongue along Theo’s shaft before pulling off of him with a smack; the sound causing his dick to twitch.

Resting his face against the side of Theo’s thigh, Liam smiled, “How do I look?”

“Beautiful,” Theo responded almost immediately, his voice far raspier than he remembered it being just a few minutes ago.

“And this?” Liam gestured towards his length, returning it to his cheek and nuzzling against it softly.

Theo felt dizzy at the sight, truly at a loss before saying, “Beyond words.”

“Have I, single handedly, rendered Theo Raeken. . speechless?” he questioned, pausing in the middle of his sentence to tap the head of Theo’s dick against his outstretched tongue.

Instead of answering the question he was given, he decided to play into the game that was being presented to him, “Do that again.”

Liam raked his bottom lip between his teeth before pressing Theo’s length into his mouth and sliding it against his cheek, smearing the residue over his skin while he smiled, “You like that?”

“I do,” Theo responded, watching as Liam did as he asked, not only tapping his dick against his tongue but now doing it with just a bit more force, causing each tap to create a delicious smacking sound.

“Tell me how much,” Liam commanded, his tone coy but firm. Who knew that Liam was such a little tease?

Debating on whether or not to give in to what Liam was asking for, he watched as Liam lowered his head and began to circle his sack with his tongue whilst wrapping one of his hands around his base and pumping upwards slowly. In the end, he made the decision to give in. Who was he to stand in the way of what Liam wanted?

“God, Liam. . I love the way your mouth feels around me. . It’s so wet. . and warm. . and your tongue. . fuck. . don’t even get me started on your tongue. .” he managed to breath out in between Liam pulsing his balls in and out of his mouth, causing Theo’s hips to jerk forward intermittently.

Theo watched as Liam’s eyes grew darker with every word, giving away how deeply Theo’s words actually effected him. In the next moment, Liam removed his mouth and raised himself back up to where Theo’s length was just centimeters from his lips.

“My tongue, huh?” he urged, his eyes nearly pleading for Theo to keep talking.

Theo smiled seductively down to his boyfriend, relishing in the power exchange between them in that moment. It was amazing to him that there was such an effortless give and take between the two of them, and if he was being honest with himself, it felt good to both bend to Liam’s will while also retaining the ability to take back control.

“It’s fucking phenomenal. The way you wrap it around the tip of my dick and then flick the slit. . God, you have no idea how good that feels, baby,” Theo drawled, his sultry voice filling Liam’s ears and causing his breath to catch in the back of his throat.

Theo reached his hand down to cup Liam’s face, brushing his thumb against his bottom lip where Liam tilted his head just enough to where he could pull the tip into his mouth, sucking gently on the pad. The moan that elicited from Theo only egged Liam on as he pulled it completely into his mouth and began giving it the same treatment as Theo’s length. Before long, Theo was pushing himself up on his other elbow and watching intently as Liam attempted to suck his soul through his thumb.

“So sloppy for me, Littlewolf. .” he breathed, now guiding Liam up to him.

Once they were face to face, Theo removed his thumb from Liam’s mouth and crashed their lips together, letting every bit of lust and love that he was feeling in that moment flow into the junction of their mouths. Liam seemed to be doing the same as he forced his tongue into Theo’s mouth and continuously nipped at Theo’s tongue. With Liam now straddling him, he could feel Liam’s aching length against his stomach, practically begging to be touched. At that thought, he slid down slightly, pushing Liam to climb further onto the bed until Liam’s length was hanging just above his face and Liam was staring down at him with those altogether too blue eyes in awe.

“What are you waiting for?” Theo asked, the look in his eyes sinful in the best way possible.

Liam smiled back down at him with an expression that matched his own, “For you to ask.”

Without further ado, Theo asked, “Will you fuck my face?”

Liam reached down and gripped the base of his cock before tracing Theo’s lips with the tip before asking, “What’s the magic word?”

It seemed the game they were playing was endless as Theo responded, “Please, baby?” knowing there wasn’t a chance in hell that Liam could deny him, especially after both asking _and_ putting his pet name to good use.

Liam wasted no time in pressing his dick into Theo’s mouth, allowing Theo time to get used to the length before sliding in until he bottomed out. Theo felt the urge to gag starting to arise, but before it reached its full potential, Liam pulled back, tapping his tip against Theo’s outstretched tongue. They never broke eye contact as Liam pressed in again and pulled back out, this time tapping his length against Theo’s cheek. Liam couldn’t help but admire just how gorgeous his dick looked against Theo’s face. In all honesty, other than it being buried in the back of Theo’s throat with his gorgeous eyes looking back at him, it was the most beautiful sight in the entire universe.

As Liam re-entered the warmth of Theo’s mouth, he watched as Theo reached up with one hand and pressed two fingers against Liam’s bottom lip, obviously asking for entrance. Liam gladly obliged, allowing Theo’s fingers to roam as he fucked into his mouth. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from Theo’s eyes as they began to water and nearly lost it when he both felt and heard him gag around his dick. He pulled out instinctually to allow Theo to breath at about the same time Theo removed his fingers from his mouth.

Looking down, he cupped Theo’s face with his palm, “Do you know how fucking gorgeous you look right now?”

Theo smirked, snaking his now soaked hand around to Liam’s rear, pressing his fingers into the cleft there, “Probably nowhere near as gorgeous as you’re about to.”

He then pressed the digits against Liam’s rim, causing him to squirm over Theo. In the next moment, Liam returned his length to the cavern of Theo’s mouth and went between pressing into his mouth and against his fingers. Theo continued his current task, determined to properly prepare Liam before they went any further. It wasn’t long before he was breaching the beta with not one but two fingers, scissoring them accordingly and causing Liam to whimper above him.

“You’re doing so good, baby,” Theo complimented, crooking his fingers up just enough to lightly brush against the beta’s previously untouched prostate.

Liam pulled out of his mouth completely then, pushing himself back against Theo’s fingers hungrily. It was in that moment that Liam knew that he needed more. As if Theo could read his mind, he then added another finger, knowing that he would need to be able to at least fit three if there was any hope of Liam taking him in without hurting him. Much to Theo’s surprise, Liam continued pushing back against him, asking for more without words. Theo continued to stretch his walls until he looked up and watched as Liam’s eyes flashed, his gold eyes making eye contact with Theo’s own green ones immediately.

“Move up to the headrest,” he demanded, voice low and just a hair away from being a growl.

Theo followed his request, resting his back against a couple of pillows that he had thrown behind himself, and before he knew it, Liam was back on him, straddling his hips with his own. Liam reached up and placed his hands on either side of Theo’s face, cradling it as if it were something precious, which to him, it was. Theo responded by encircling Liam’s hips with his arms, pulling him as close as possible. Liam leaned down then, pressing a soft kiss to Theo’s lips that, despite its tenderness, held more emotion than any previous kiss they had shared.

Theo felt one of Liam’s hands fall away from his face and snake around him seemingly in search of something. Out of nowhere, Liam produced a small bottle of lube and popped the cap, pouring some into the palm of his other hand and reaching between them to coat Theo, base to tip. The air around them seemed to pulse with an undeniable sense of electromagnetism, giving way to the growing anticipation between them.

“Are you ready, Littlewolf?” Theo asked gently, caressing Liam’s cheek lightly.

Liam nodded in response, worried that his voice wouldn’t have worked even if he had tried. Instead, he raised himself up just enough so that he was hovering directly above Theo’s length before lowering himself down upon it, his eyes never leaving Theo’s as he did so. After giving himself a moment to adjust to the feeling of being filled, he began to move his hips languidly, eliciting a moan from the beautiful boy beneath him.

“God, you’re so tight. .” Theo breathed, gripping onto Liam’s hips firmly and grinding back up into him.

The mixture of Theo’s words filling his ears and his thickness filling him up was nearly too much for Liam to handle. His entire body was quaking with pleasure, and with every moment that passed, he knew that he wasn’t long for this world. It was as if every fiber of his being had been soaked in gasoline and Theo was the match that lit his very soul on fire. Looking down into Theo’s eyes, he found those same sentiments staring back at him. In fact, the thought that had been circling the back of his mind the entire time was written all over Theo’s gorgeous features: _mine._

“Theo. . I want. .” he breathed as the pleasure between them continued to build and the hunger for more blossomed in his chest.  

“What is it, baby? What do you want?” Theo inquired, gently rocking his hips in time with Liam’s whilst reaching up to cradle his face in the palm of his hand.

“Mark me, Theo. .” he responded, watching as Theo’s eyes flashed a brilliant gold.

“Are you sure, Li?” he questioned back, maintaining his composure the best he could despite the animalistic need that now clouded his judgement.

Knowing that his words were bound to fail him in that moment, Liam reached forward and crashed their lips back together in a kiss that he was nearly sure would have caused an explosion if there had been an accelerant nearby. Much to his satisfaction, Theo kissed him back with just as much fervor, accepting his request without so much as a word. It was then that Theo began to thrust into Liam with a bit more force, aiming for his prostate with every stroke. It only took him a couple of tries to find the exact spot that made Liam squirm in his grip, and once he found it, he became relentless, fucking into Liam with pure abandon.

If Liam had thought he was on the verge of exploding before, he now knew that his imminent destruction was at hand. The waves of pleasure that spread over him like wildfire every time Theo thrust into him were equal parts euphoric and torturous, eliciting profanities from his tongue that even he didn’t understand anymore. As if Theo was aware of how close he was to finishing him off, he pulled back and looked into Liam’s now glowing eyes, once more asking for permission. In response, Liam nodded before turning his head to expose his throat, awaiting the one thing he wanted above all else.

Theo wasted no time then, diving in to bury his elongated fangs into Liam’s throat whilst simultaneously thrusting upwards into Liam’s tight heat, purposely hitting his prostate just as he began to taste the blood on his tongue. The overwhelming feeling that began to spread throughout Liam’s body once Theo’s fangs were securely attached was indescribable at best, becoming even more difficult to process once Theo’s length collided with his sweet spot.

Upon contact, Liam completely lost control, feeling as though he was being reborn within Theo's grasp. Tilting his head back, he roared into the darkness around them whilst painting Theo’s stomach in his sticky release. Theo continued to thrust into him as he rode out his orgasm, lapping at the bite mark on his neck to soothe the dull ache that was soon to surface once Liam came down from his high. Once Liam regained a bit of clarity, he leveled his gaze with Theo’s and motioned for him to expose his own throat, eager to return the favor.    

One look from Liam and Theo was tilting his head back, steadily continuing the pace he had been going before he had claimed the beta. As soon as there was enough room for Liam to nuzzle into the neck that was so willingly presented to him, he plunged towards the exposed flesh making quick work with his fangs. The pain that shuddered through Theo at the intrusion quickly turned to pleasure as he felt everything within him snap into place. It was as if, for the first time in his entire life, he was whole, and the cherry on top was that Liam had been the missing puzzle piece all along. Theo came hard at the thought, allowing both the boy surrounding him and the pleasure he was currently experiencing to consume him.

Liam continued to ride him through his orgasm, cleaning the wound on his neck as he did so. Once it was clear that Theo had come down, Liam slowed his movements until he was completely still and leaned back just enough so that he could look down at his partner’s now green eyes. Theo returned his gaze, the exact same look of adoration splayed across his features.

Liam smiled as they made eye contact, quickly leaning down to press his lips against his lover’s before slowly removing himself from Theo’s lap and scampering off to the bathroom. He soon returned with a warm washcloth and began cleaning up the mess he had created on Theo’s chest. Despite what had just occurred between them, Theo couldn’t stop the blush that began to creep across his cheekbones at the tender way Liam was caring for him. It seemed as though the little blue eyed beta in front of him was never going to stop surprising him.

“I love you, Liam,” Theo smiled as Liam discarded the cloth in his hand and crawled his way up to where Theo was lying against the pillows at the head of the bed.

Once he was properly nestled against Theo’s side and underneath the blankets around them, Liam returned his smile, “I love you too, Theo.”

He snaked his hand upwards then, brushing his fingertips along the indentions he had left on Theo’s neck just a few moments ago before continuing with, “And I always will.”

Unable to help himself, Theo smiled, “Well, I would hope so. You’re stuck with me now, Littlewolf.”

Liam rolled his eyes in response, nestling himself closer to Theo before saying, “Go to sleep before I have knock you out. If I’m remembering correctly, I owe you a few.”

Theo laughed at that, enjoying the fact that their complete dynamic hadn’t changed despite everything that had occurred between them within the last twenty-four hours. Once his fit of laughter passed, he quickly followed Liam’s suggestion, drifting off to sleep whilst holding the other boy as close to him as possible.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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